Variable wheel resonator system for a vehicle

Abstract

A variable wheel resonator system for a vehicle can suppress a resonance noise in a wide resonance frequency band occurring during driving of the vehicle by variably controlling an amount of air flowing from a first air chamber of a tire to a second air chamber and then flowing again to the first air chamber through an on/off control of a solenoid valve mounted on a wheel resonator. The system can suppress the resonance noise in the resonance frequency band that differs in accordance with a road-surface input frequency change (road-surface impact change) input to the tire, a driving speed and turning condition change, and a temperature change of an internal air of the tire.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A variable wheel resonator system for a vehicle, the system comprising:
 a resonator structured to have a second air chamber formed therein and an air vent formed on one side portion thereof for communication with a first air chamber within a tire, the resonator being mounted on a rim portion of a wheel; 
 a solenoid valve mounted on a specific position of the resonator and configured to adjust an amount of air flowing from the first air chamber to the second air chamber; 
 a power supply configured to provide power for a turn-on operation of the solenoid valve; and 
 a controller configured to control current being applied from an external power source to the power supply to suit a power supply time for turning on/off the solenoid valve and a periodic signal, 
 wherein the specific position of the resonator is located in a first position that is different from a second position of the air vent such that air in the first air chamber of the tire enters into the second air chamber of the resonator through the solenoid valve and then flows into the first air chamber through the air vent of the resonator. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein a wireless power transmission and reception system is adopted as the power supply. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 2 , wherein the wireless power transmission and reception system comprises:
 a transmission-side coil mounted on a wheel guard and configured to be supplied with power from the external power source and to supply wireless power; and 
 a reception-side coil mounted on a surface of the resonator and configured to receive the wireless power from the transmission-side coil and to supply the received wireless power to the solenoid valve. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3 , wherein one controller is composed of one module on the transmission-side coil to apply the current to the transmission-side coil to suit the power supply time for turning on/off the solenoid valve and the periodic signal. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4 , wherein the controller repeats the on/off operation of the solenoid valve by applying the current to the transmission-side coil to suit the power supply time for turning on/off the solenoid valve and the periodic signal based on the vehicle information. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the solenoid valve comprises a built-in power circuit conductively connected to the reception-side coil and configured to convert an alternating current (AC) into a direct current (DC). 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 5 , wherein, during the turn-on operation of the solenoid valve, the air in the first air chamber of the tire enters into the second air chamber of the resonator through the solenoid valve, and then flows into the first air chamber through the air vent of the resonator. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 5 , wherein in accordance with a repetition period of the on/off operation of the solenoid valve, an amount of air flow entering from the first air chamber into the second air chamber through the solenoid valve and then flowing into the first air chamber through the air vent is controlled. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the valve is mounted on both-side symmetric positions around the air vent of the resonator.